Horace Tapscott - 1969 - The Quintet

Horace Tapscott

1969 

The Quintet

01 World Peace 8:33

02 Your Child 12:18

03 For Fats 15:57

Alto Saxophone – Arthur Blythe

Bass – David Bryant, Walter Savage Jr.

Drums – Everett Brown Jr.

Piano – Horace Tapscott

Recorded in 1969 at the same session as The Giant Is Awakened.

Intended as a second follow up album.

Horace Tapscott’s The Quintet, released in 2022 on Mr Bongo (catalog MRBLP256), is a long-lost avant-garde jazz treasure, unearthed from the Flying Dutchman archives like a dusty vinyl gem that makes you wonder what else is hiding in Bob Thiele’s vaults. Recorded in Los Angeles from April 1–3, 1969, this three-track, 35-minute LP was intended as a follow-up to Tapscott’s seminal debut, The Giant Is Awakened (1969), but was shelved for over half a century, leaving fans to speculate if it was lost to a studio gremlin or Tapscott’s own disillusionment with the music industry. Featuring the same stellar quintet—Tapscott on piano, Arthur Blythe on alto saxophone, Everett Brown Jr. on drums, and dual bassists David Bryant and Walter Savage Jr.—The Quintet is a fiery, modal, and free-leaning session that captures Tapscott’s vision of spiritual jazz rooted in African-American consciousness. Think of it as a Watts street party where the band’s playing Coltrane-inspired chaos, and the industry suits are left scratching their heads.

Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934–February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and community organizer whose uncompromising artistry and activism made him a towering figure in Los Angeles’ jazz scene. Born in Houston, Texas, to jazz pianist Mary Lou Malone, Tapscott moved to Los Angeles at age nine, where he studied piano and trombone. As a teenager, he jammed with future luminaries like Frank Morgan, Don Cherry, and Billy Higgins, showing early promise. After serving in the Air Force in Wyoming, he played trombone with Lionel Hampton’s band (1959–61) but soon abandoned the horn for piano, finding it better suited to his expansive musical vision. Wikipédia notes his “hard and percussive” pianistic style, likened to Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols, with a distinctive voice that shone in settings from duos to big bands.

In 1961, Tapscott founded the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (P.A.P.A.), a Black music ensemble dedicated to preserving and performing African-American music, later expanding into the Underground Musicians Association (UGMA, renamed Union of God’s Musicians and Artists Ascension, UGMAA). Based in Watts, the Arkestra performed in parks, churches, and even from trucks, fostering community pride amid racial and economic struggles. Tapscott mentored talents like Arthur Blythe, Stanley Crouch, and David Murray, while his compositions were recorded by Sonny Criss (Sonny’s Dream, 1968). Disillusioned by the music industry after The Giant Is Awakened—where producer Bob Thiele mixed his piano too loudly without input—Tapscott retreated to independent labels like Nimbus West, Interplay, and UGMAA, recording sparingly but profoundly. All About Jazz calls him a “forgotten master of politically engaged African American spiritual jazz,” though his cult following ensured reissues like The Dark Tree (1990–91).

Tapscott died of brain cancer in 1999 at 64, just before a planned Leimert Park tribute, leaving a legacy etched in a Degnan Boulevard sidewalk engraving. NPR praises his idealism, noting he “never put himself above anybody,” a community hero whose music, as Rate Your Music suggests, was as much about empowerment as artistry. Imagine him as a jazz sage, pounding out modal grooves while the industry wondered why he wouldn’t play their game.

In 1969, jazz was a battleground of innovation and identity. John Coltrane’s death in 1967 left a void, but his spiritual and free-jazz explorations inspired a generation, including Tapscott, whose modal and African-inflected sound echoed A Love Supreme. In Los Angeles, the Watts riots of 1965 had galvanized Black consciousness, and Tapscott’s Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra was a cultural lifeline, performing music that, as NPR notes, reflected “community empowerment.” The Black Rio movement in Brazil, blending funk and samba, shared Tapscott’s Afrocentric ethos, while minimalists like Hans Otte and Dominique Lawalrée explored quieter realms. The Flying Dutchman label, founded by Bob Thiele in 1969, was a hub for bold voices like Gil Scott-Heron and Tapscott, though its commercial leanings clashed with the latter’s ideals.

The Quintet was recorded during the same sessions as The Giant Is Awakened (April 1–3, 1969), intended as a companion but shelved, possibly due to Tapscott’s fallout with Thiele over mixing disputes, as Rate Your Music recounts. Its 2022 release by Mr Bongo, with new artwork by Raimund Wong, reflects a resurgence of interest in Tapscott, fueled by archival releases like Legacies for Our Grandchildren (Dark Tree, 2022). In the year of Woodstock, The Quintet was a defiant cry from Watts, a musical Molotov cocktail that the industry wasn’t ready to catch.

The Quintet features the same lineup as The Giant Is Awakened, a tight ensemble blending avant-garde fire with modal discipline. Here’s a detailed look at the players, based on Discogs and AllMusic credits:

Horace Tapscott (piano): The bandleader, Tapscott’s piano is the session’s anchor, delivering percussive, Monk-ish chords and lyrical flourishes that guide the group’s explorations. His playing on “Your Child” is particularly evocative, weaving modal lines with free-jazz edge, as Rate Your Music notes his “signature all over it.” Tapscott’s leadership is subtle yet commanding, like a community organizer who knows when to step back and let the people shine. One imagines him side-eyeing Thiele in the booth, daring him to mess with the mix again.

Arthur Blythe (alto saxophone): A future jazz titan (see Lenox Avenue Breakdown, 1979), Blythe (1940–2017) was a revelation in 1969, his alto sax soaring with Coltrane-esque intensity and Jackie McLean’s angular bite. On “World Peace,” his fiery solos push the boundaries of free jazz, while “Your Child” showcases his melodic warmth, per Soundohm. Rate Your Music praises his “askew sax,” a perfect foil for Tapscott’s piano. Blythe’s virtuosity steals the show, like a guest who arrives with a saxophone and leaves with your soul.

David Bryant (bass): Bryant, a Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra stalwart, provides plucked basslines that anchor the rhythm, often doubling with Savage for a rich, textured foundation. His work on “For Fats” is sturdy yet lyrical, supporting Blythe’s flights, as hhv-mag.com notes the dual basses’ ability to “tie knots in your ears.” Bryant’s understated role is like the guy who keeps the party grounded while everyone else goes wild.

Walter Savage Jr. (bass): Savage’s bowed bass adds depth and tension, especially on “For Fats,” where his arco work creates a stormy undercurrent, per hhv-mag.com. His interplay with Bryant is innovative, one bass following the melody, the other the rhythm, as Jazzmessengers.com highlights. Savage is the yin to Bryant’s yang, like a bassist who decided to bring a bow to a funk fight and somehow won.

Everett Brown Jr. (drums): Brown, another Arkestra veteran, drives the session with dynamic, polyrhythmic drumming. His composition “World Peace” opens the album, and his playing—crisp on “Your Child,” explosive on “For Fats”—is a standout, as Rate Your Music notes his ability to let the “basses careen out of control.” Brown’s energy is like a drummer who’s secretly conducting the chaos, grinning as the band follows his lead.

Produced by Bob Thiele and engineered by Eddie Brackett, the quintet’s chemistry is palpable, a testament to their Arkestra roots. Mr Bongo calls it a “deep, heavy, avant-garde session,” and the dual basses—unusual for jazz—give it a unique heft, like Tapscott decided one bass wasn’t enough to carry Watts’ weight.

The Quintet is a three-track, 35-minute LP that blends modal jazz, free improvisation, and spiritual fervor, recorded in stereo at Los Angeles’ RCA Studios. Mastered from high-resolution sources, per Mr Bongo, it’s a companion to The Giant Is Awakened, sharing its personnel and vibe but with a rawer edge, as Rate Your Music suggests it’s “nearly its equal.” The production is clean, though Tapscott’s piano dominates, a sore point from the Giant sessions, per NPR. Let’s break down its structure and highlights.

The album’s sonic palette is built on Tapscott’s percussive piano, Blythe’s searing alto, and the dual basses’ rhythmic and melodic interplay, with Brown’s drums providing a propulsive backbone. The compositions—two by Tapscott, one by Brown—are modal, with free-jazz excursions that evoke Coltrane, Andrew Hill, and Monk, as Rate Your Music notes. Tapscott’s arrangements balance structure and chaos, using the basses to create tension and release, while Blythe’s solos push into avant-garde territory. The album’s spiritual and African-inflected tone, as Soundohm highlights, reflects the Arkestra’s mission, with grooves that invite both contemplation and dance, per NPR.

Stylistically, The Quintet is avant-garde jazz with post-bop and spiritual roots, skirting the free-jazz chaos of Cecil Taylor but retaining a rhythmic core, like Mingus’s smaller ensembles, per Rate Your Music. The dual basses—plucked and bowed—create a dense, orchestral texture, as hhv-mag.com describes, making it both “wild” and “harmonious.” It’s a snapshot of Tapscott’s 1969 vision, a bridge between Coltrane’s late work and the Arkestra’s later explorations, with a defiance that says, “Industry be damned, this is our sound.”

“World Peace” (8:34, composed by Everett Brown Jr.): The opener, written by drummer Brown, begins with a baroque-esque piano melody, almost pastoral, before erupting into a modal free-jazz storm. Blythe’s alto sax goes “quite far out,” per Rate Your Music, with the dual basses careening behind him, while Tapscott’s chords pull it back to earth. The track returns to its serene opening, a cyclical structure that feels like a prayer for peace amid chaos. Jazzmessengers.com calls it “modal/free,” and it’s a thrilling start, though its abrupt shifts might leave you wondering if the band planned it or just felt like shaking the room. Brown’s drumming is a highlight, like he’s channeling Elvin Jones with a Watts swagger.

“Your Child” (10:34, composed by Horace Tapscott): The album’s crown jewel, this track—later known as “As a Child” on Thoughts of Dar es Salaam (1997)—is a modal masterpiece, blending deep jazz lyricism with free-jazz flourishes. Tapscott’s piano lays down an entrancing mode, per Rate Your Music, while Blythe’s melodic solo skirts Coltrane’s early Impulse! vibe. The basses add tension, one plucked, one bowed, creating a hypnotic pulse, as hhv-mag.com notes. Soundohm calls it “beautiful,” and it’s the track that best captures Tapscott’s spiritual depth, like a lullaby for a community dreaming of freedom. You’ll want it to “go on forever,” per Rate Your Music, though at 10 minutes, it’s just long enough to break your heart.

“For Fats” (16:00, composed by Arthur Blythe): A 16-minute expansion of the two-minute version on The Giant Is Awakened, this tribute to Fats Navarro is the album’s epic closer. It opens with a bowed bass and piano intro, dark and stormy, before building into a driving, modal groove, per Mr Bongo. Blythe’s “askew sax” and Tapscott’s edgy piano, per Rate Your Music, create a climbing scale that bursts into release, with Brown’s drums pushing the energy. hhv-mag.com calls it Tapscott’s “swan song” to the industry, and its raw power feels like a middle finger to Thiele’s mixing booth. It’s a journey, though its length might test listeners who prefer their jazz less like a marathon, as if Blythe said, “Fats deserves 16 minutes, deal with it.”

The Quintet is a revelation, a lost chapter of Tapscott’s legacy that proves his 1969 quintet was a force. “Your Child” is a standout, its modal beauty and spiritual depth rivaling The Giant Is Awakened, as Rate Your Music suggests it’s a “must-have for fans.” Blythe’s alto is incandescent, balancing melody and chaos, while the dual basses create a unique, orchestral texture, per hhv-mag.com. Tapscott’s piano is both leader and collaborator, and Brown’s drumming adds fire, as Soundohm notes the “stellar cast.” The production, mastered from archival tapes, is crisp, and Mr Bongo’s release, with Wong’s artwork, is a labor of love, per Discogs. Its 35-minute runtime is focused, delivering three distinct moods—serene, soulful, stormy.

However, The Quintet has quirks. Its “incomplete” status, per Rate Your Music, shows in its three-track brevity, as the band planned to return to the studio but didn’t, leaving it feeling like a tantalizing fragment. The piano’s prominence, a carryover from Giant’s mixing issues, occasionally overshadows Blythe, per NPR. “World Peace”’s abrupt shifts can feel jarring, and “For Fats”’s 16 minutes, while epic, might overwhelm casual listeners, as if Tapscott thought, “Let’s see how long they’ll stick with us.” Its belated release, while a gift, underscores Tapscott’s industry woes, as Soundohm notes his retreat to indie labels post-1969. And naming a five-person band “The Quintet” with two bassists is cheeky, like Tapscott winking at jazz norms while breaking them.

The Quintet is a vital artifact of 1969’s spiritual jazz movement, capturing Tapscott’s fusion of Coltrane’s modal legacy with Watts’ Black consciousness, as NPR highlights its “forces gathering” vibe. Its dual basses and avant-garde edge align with the era’s experiments, from Mingus’s ensembles to Ornette Coleman’s harmolodics, while its Pan Afrikan ethos parallels the Black Rio movement’s cultural pride. For scholars, it’s a case study in jazz’s political dimensions, as Tapscott’s retreat from the industry reflects systemic barriers for Black artists, per All About Jazz. Its 2022 release, alongside other Tapscott reissues, signals a rediscovery, with Rate Your Music ranking it #1353 for 2022, a testament to its enduring power.

Released in 2022, The Quintet garnered praise from niche jazz circles. Rate Your Music rates it 3.73/5, with users calling it “necessary” for fans, nearly equaling The Giant Is Awakened. hhv-mag.com lauds its “wild and harmonious” duality, while Soundohm hails its “deep, heavy” session. Discogs users thank Mr Bongo for “rescuing this music from oblivion,” with one noting its “distinct stereo separation.” Jazzmessengers.com calls it a “dream come true” for Tapscott fans, though some, per Rate Your Music, wish the album had been completed in 1969 for greater polish.

The album’s legacy lies in its role as a missing link in Tapscott’s discography, bridging The Giant Is Awakened and his later indie recordings. Tracks like “Your Child” (aka “As a Child”) became Arkestra staples, per Rate Your Music, while its rediscovery fuels Tapscott’s growing cult status, as All About Jazz notes his albums’ treasure among connoisseurs. Its influence on spiritual and avant-garde jazz endures, inspiring artists like Kamasi Washington, who share Tapscott’s community focus. The Quintet is a testament to a band that could’ve reshaped jazz history—if only the industry had listened.

The Quintet is a fiery, soulful triumph, a lost 1969 session that proves Horace Tapscott’s quintet was a jazz juggernaut. With Arthur Blythe’s searing alto, Tapscott’s Monk-ish piano, and the dual basses of Bryant and Savage, it’s a modal, free-leaning romp that channels Watts’ spirit, as NPR evokes its “community empowerment.” “Your Child” is a timeless gem, “For Fats” a sprawling epic, and “World Peace” a chaotic prayer, though the album’s brevity and raw edges reflect its unfinished state. Tapscott’s retreat from the industry after these sessions, as Soundohm notes, was jazz’s loss, but The Quintet is our gain, a reminder of his genius and defiance.

So, grab the Mr Bongo vinyl, cue up “Your Child,” and let Tapscott’s groove wash over you like a Watts street party. Just don’t expect the mainstream to catch up; they’re still trying to figure out why two basses are better than one. And if anyone calls it “just another jazz record,” tell them it’s the sound of a giant who never slept, only waited for us to wake up. Spoiler: he’s still waiting